𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗿:
You have 2 minutes to solve this Excel problem.

You have the following data:
Employee | Department | Salary
John | IT | 75,000
Sarah | HR | 60,000
Mike | IT | 82,000
David | Finance | 90,000
Alice | IT | 78,000

How would you calculate the total salary for the IT department?

𝗠𝗲: Challenge accepted! 💪
=SUMIF(B2:B6,"IT",C2:C6)

💡 Explanation:
The SUMIF() function adds values based on a single condition.
• B2:B6 is the range containing department names.
• "IT" is the condition (criteria).
• C2:C6 is the range containing salary values to sum.

Excel adds only the salaries where the department is IT.

This challenge tests your understanding of: ✅ SUMIF()
✅ Conditional Calculations
✅ Data Analysis

🎯 Expected Output Example
Formula: =SUMIF(B2:B6,"IT",C2:C6)
Result: 235,000

(75,000 + 82,000 + 78,000 = 235,000)

🚀 Bonus (Using a Cell Reference as Criteria)
=SUMIF(B2:B6,E2,C2:C6)
If cell E2 contains IT, the formula becomes dynamic and automatically updates when the department name changes.

🚀 Tip for Excel Job Seekers:
SUMIF() is one of the most commonly asked Excel functions. Once you're comfortable with it, move on to:
SUMIFS()
COUNTIF()
COUNTIFS()
AVERAGEIF()
AVERAGEIFS()

These functions are widely used in reporting, dashboards, and data analysis interviews.

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